Seoul: Our cooperation with the new Syria can contribute to strengthening regional peace and stability

A South Korean official confirmed that there is an understanding between Seoul and Damascus that the new Syria and its cooperation with South Korea can contribute to promoting regional peace and stability.

Yonhap News Agency reported that the unnamed official, on Wednesday, commented on the diplomatic working agreement signed between her country and Syria last week: This is the first step for establishing diplomatic relations by the new Syrian government, and Syria views South Korea as a key partner in advancing reconstruction efforts. Both sides believe that there will be many opportunities for South Korean companies to participate in these efforts.

The South Korean official considered the establishment of relations with Syria as significant, because it also represents a shift in Syria’s foreign policy away from its “traditionally close” (under the former regime) relations with North Korea.

She said: There is a common understanding between the two sides that the new Syria and its cooperation through its official relations with South Korea can contribute to promoting regional peace and stability, unlike the relations that linked Bashar al-Assad’s government with North Korea.

Last Thursday, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad al-Sheibani and his South Korean counterpart, Cho Tae-yeol, signed a diplomatic agreement in Damascus to build and strengthen friendly and cooperation relations between the two countries, serving the interests of the two friendly peoples. They also agreed to open embassies and exchange diplomatic missions.

Both sides affirmed their desire to build their relationship based on the principles of peaceful coexistence, sovereign equality between states, mutual respect for territorial integrity, and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs.

In a related context, the South Korean official said that Syria granted the highest diplomatic honors to the South Korean Foreign Minister during his visit to Damascus last week to establish official relations, indicating its strong commitment to deepening cooperation in the economy, reconstruction, and other fields.

She added that during his short visit, Joe was accorded high-level diplomatic protocol, including security more than three times that usually provided to foreign ministers.” She continued: “Minister Joe was received with full honors and was accompanied by a full security convoy from the moment he arrived at the airport until he crossed the Lebanese border, through which he departed.

Nada Haj Khidr

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